Filling changer for looms



Sept. 1, 1936. c B PERRY 2,053,008

FILLING CHANGER FOR LOOMS Filed June 9, 1934' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jaw/4i? .mvii [Wk/i1??? wwwm Patented Sept. 1, 1936 ATENT OFFICE 2,053,008 FILLING CHANGER FOR LOOMS Charles Benedict Perry, North Andover, Mass, assignor to M. '1. Stevens and Sons Company,

North Andover, Mass.

sachusetts a corporation of Mas- Application June 9, 1934, Serial No. 729,841

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of replenishing thefilling in a shuttle during the operation of a loom insuch a manner as to avoid breakage, and to a device for use with filling changers for automatic looms of the Northrop type. In looms of this type, as is well known in the art, automatic filling changers are provided so that, when the filling yarn in the shuttle is nearly'exhausted, the bobbin in the shuttle is automatically replaced by a full bobbin without interrupting the operation of the loom. For this purpose, there is mounted on the loom a rotatable hopper adapted to hold frictionally a considerable number of bobbins having yarn bodies thereon. This hopper is arranged to be directly over the shuttle box on the lay when the lay is' in its forward position for beating up the weft. A feeler enters an aperture in the .side of the shuttle. If the yarn body on the bobbin is nearly exhausted, the feeler causes the actuation of a lever arm known as the transferrer whichJthrusts a filled bobbin from the hopper into the shuttle, displacing the nearly empty bobbin from the shuttle. The lay then moves back to its rearward position with the filled bobbin, whereupon the shuttle is picked. Heretofore, when filled bobbins have been inserted in the hopper, the free end of the yarn from each bobbin has been led approximately are then wound. The guide disk is intended to providas'lack in the yarn to prevent breakage of the yarn when the bobbin is transferred from the hopper to the shuttle. Breakage, however,

often occurs, especially in cases where the yarn body does not'extend tothe tip of the spindle,

unless the precaution is' taken of handwinding a "small bunch of yarn at the tip of the bobbin wh'ereit will readily pull off. "This remedy is laborious and time-consuming.

' It is an object of the present invention to provide automatic means for forming sufficient extra slack in the yarn and for yieldingly supporting the slack so that even a half-filled bobbin can be'transferred to the shuttle and the :shuttle picked without danger of breaking the yarn.

To this end, I provide a friction device for loosely holding the free end'portion of the yarns which are led from the bobbins in the hopper. As the hopper rotates so as to carry the bobbins successively'into position for dis- .frame are indicated at 10 and ll.

charge into the shuttle, additional slack is created between the hopper and the frictional device, after which the yarn is automatically caused to be engaged more firmly by the frictional device when the bobbin-is moved rearwardly with the lay after being transferred into the shuttle and when the shuttle is then picked.

Various advantageous features will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the disclosure of the invention and the description thereof which follows, and from the drawings of which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mechanism embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation, on a larger scale,

of a. portion of the mechanism shown in Fig- 35 mechanism, shown in Figure 1, various portions being broken away to show in section.

ure 4.

Figure 6 is a similar section, showing the parts in different positions of operation.

In Figure 1, fragmentary portions of a loom The frame member IE! carries a stationary bracket l2 which ro-tatably supports an end of a shaft I3 on which is mounted a magazine hopper l5 for filled bobbins IS. The structure of the magazine hopper l5 may be similar to that which is customarily employed on looms of the Northrop type, well known in the art. Such hoppers consist primarily of a pair of disks and 2| mounted on the shaft l3, one of these disks being provided with springpressed. elements 22, as indicated in Figure 4, by which the bobbins l6 are releasably held by end pressure so that they can be quickly and easily transferred from the hopper to the shuttle. A fragmentary portion of the lay is indicated in Figure 1, a shuttle box 26 being mounted on the lay in the usual manner. A shuttle 30 is indicated in the box and is engaged by the pickerstick 3 l As shown in Figure 1, the lay is in its forward or beating-up position, the shuttle 30 being then immediately below the lowermost point of the hopper I5. The transferrer, feeler, thread cutter, and other standard mechanisms customarily employed on a loom of this type have been omitted from the drawings for the sake of clarity. All

.of these mechanisms are well known and customarily employed in the art. Also mounted on the shaft 13 is a guide member which consists essentially of a number of guide notches 36 supported in a circular seriesaround the axis of the 20 Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figshaft I3. As shown, the guide member 35 is in the form of a disk or wheel having a flange or rim in which the notches 36 are made. This wheel is fixed on the shaft |3 so that it revolves therewith, the relation of the notches to corresponding bobbins l6 in the hopper |5 thus being constant. Further along the shaft I3 is mounted a friction device 38 for engaging the free end portions of the yarn leading from the several bobbins in the hopper. This frictional device, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, may consist essentially of two or more disks or wheels 48 and 4|, on the rims of which the yarns may run freely in guide channels formed by suitable elements such as the turns of helical springs; 42 and 43 seated in peripheral grooves in the wheels 40 and 4|. In loading filled bobbins into the hopper, a sufficient length of yarn is led from each bobbin through a notch 36 andis inserted loosely between successive turns of the springs 42' and 43. At'this stage the'yarn may be easily drawn in either direction across the rims of the wheels 40 and 4|. The length of the yarn from the periphery of the disk 2| to the frictional holding device 38 does notprovide sufficient slack to take care of the movement-of the lay to its rearward position when a fresh bobbin has been transferred to the shuttle. To provide such additional slack,I mount on the frame member l| a-strip of easily yielding spring metal 59, which, as illustrated in Figures 4-. to 6, extends from outside the periphery of the guide wheel 35 into the space between this guide wheel and the frictional yarn-engaging device 38 so that the spring 58 lies acrossthe path of -motion of the yarns extending from the guide member 35 to the frictional holding member 38 when the shaft I3 is rotated. The end portion 5| of the spring 50 is located almost directly under'the axis of the shaft l3, as illustrated in Figure 5. As the shaft l3 and the members mounted thereon rotate step-by-step to bring successive bobbins l6 into position for discharge from the, hopper into the'shuttle, the stretch of yarn betweenthefguide wheel 35 and the frictional device 38 eventually engages the spring 50 and, rides thereon. As is evident from Figures" 1 and 5, each additional step of rotation of the shaft l3 results in the formation of a bight of ffyarnof increasing amplitude, the extra yarn required for the formation of this bight being drawn rearwardly through the frictional device 38 which .loosely engages the yarns at this'stage of the rotationof the hopper. It is evident that, during the rotation of the hopper, additional yarn cannot be drawn from the bobbins themselves, since both ends of the bobbins are pressed by the disks .28 and 2| of the hopper. It is evident from Figures 4' and 5 that, by the time a bobbin has reached the position for discharge into the shuttle, a big'ht 53 of considerable amplitude has been formed between the guide notch 36 and the frictional device 38. When the bobbin is then thrust downwardly into the shuttle, as indicated in Figure 4, this results in a sharp pull on the yarn leading from the bobbin through a notch 36 and over the free end portion 5| of the spring 50.

The spring, yields readily, preventing excessive tension on the yarn; but also preventing any loose slack in theyarn while the bobbin is being transferred to the shuttle, the lay is moving rezarwardly and the shuttle is being picked. At this stage the frictional device 38 engages the yarns with additional friction so that a moderate resistance is offered when the yarn is pulled, sufficient to prevent the yarn end from being pulled into the shed when theshuttle is picked. To this end, the frictional device 38 is provided with means whereby its frictional drag on a yarn engaged between turns of the springs'42 and 43 is increased as the corresponding bobbin approaches the position of discharge from the hopper. As indicated in Figures 1 to 3, a pair of guide members 60 and BI are mounted on a bracket 62 secured to the frame member These guide members may consist of pieces of wire or rod which extend from the bracket 62 and project across the faces of the wheels 48 and 4| remote from thehopper IS. The guide member 66 thus extends into the space between the wheels 40 and 4|, the guide member 6| extending across the end face of the frictional device 38. These guide members thus lie in the path of movement of the yarns lying between turns of the coil springs 42 and 43, their positions relative to the yarns being somewhat similar to the position of the spring 5|! relative to the yarns extending from the notches 36. It is evident that, as the bobbins approach the position of discharge from the hopper, the yarn portions passing through the friction member 38 willassume an increasingly sharp zig-zag between the rims of the wheels 48 and 4| and the guide members 60- Thus. when each bobbin reaches the thelay and shapedto defiectthe yarn end clear of the lay and to move off the guide wire 60 so that the end-piece of yarn hangs on the guide wire 6 I. The yarn ends which accumulate on the wire 6| can be readily removed by hand from time to time.

It is evident that various modifications and changes may be made in the construction herein shown and described without departing from the spirit 'or scope of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:-- a

1. In an automatic filling changingmechanism for looms, a shaft, a magazine hopper for bobbins mounted .on said shaft for rotation therewith, a circular series of guide elements mounted on said shaft,-said elements including guide notches arranged to lead the yarn from each bobbin in the hopper in an approximately axial direction, a friction device for frictionally engaging the yarn from said bobbins at points beyond said guide notches, and means for increasing the amount of each yarn extending between said friction device and said bobbins a said hopper rotates. V a

2. In an automatic filling changing mechanism for looms, a shaft, a magazine hopper for bobbins mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a circular series of guide elements mounted on said shaft, said elements including guide notches arranged to lead the yarn from each bobbin in the hopper in an approximately axial direction, a friction device for frictionally engaging the yarn from said bobbins at points beyond said guide notches, means for increasing the length of each yarn between'said friction device and said.

guide notches assaid hopper rotates, and means 3. In an automatic filling changing mechanism for looms, a magazine hopper for bobbins rotatable step-by-step to move successive bobbins into position for transfer to the shuttle, guide means for causing the yarn extending from each bobbin to form a bight increasing in amplitude as said hopper rotates, said means including a resilient member engaging said yarns in succession and adapted to yield when each bobbin is transferred to the shuttle.

4. In an automatic filling changing mechanism for looms, a magazine hopper for bobbins rotatable step-by-step to move successive bobbins into position for transfer to the shuttle, friction means for yieldingly engaging the yarn leading from each of the bobbins held by said hopper, and guide means between said hopper and friction means for drawing yarn through said friction means to increase the amount of yarn extending between its bobbin and said friction means as said hopper rotates.

5. In an automatic filling changing mechanism for looms, a magazine hopper for bobbins rotatable step-by-step to move successive bobbins into position for transfer to the shuttle, friction means for engaging the yarn leading from each of the bobbins held by said hopper, guide means for forming and increasing abight in the yarn between its bobbin and said friction means, and means for increasing the frictional engagement of each yarn by said friction means after the bight in such yarn has attained substantial amplitude.

6. A device of the class described, comprising a rotatable shaft, a pair of yarn-engaging members carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, each said member consisting of a wheel mounted on the shaft and provided with peripheral guide elements, and a non-rotating guide element extending into the space between said wheels so as to be in the path of motion of yarns extending from one said element to the other, whereby each yarn acquires a zig-zag path of increasing length as the shaft and wheels rotate.

'7. A device of of the class described, comprising a rotatable shaft, yarn-engaging and holding means carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, and stationary means for causing the yamengaging means to increase the frictional drag on the yarn while being rotated a predetermined angle about the axis of the shaft.

8. In an automatic filling changing mechanism for looms, a shaft, a magazine hopper mounted on said shaft for step-by-step rotation therewith to bring successive bobbins carried by said hopper into position to transfer to a shuttle, guide means carried by said shaft having a circular series of notches adapted to receive a yarn extending approximately axially from a bobbin in said hopper, a friction device for engaging yarns from bobbins in said hopper with a frictional drag which increases as the shaft rotates, and a spring projecting into the space between said guide means and said friction device and crossing the path of motion of yarns extending from bobbins approaching the point of discharge from the hopper, whereby bights of increasing amplitude are formed in said yarns between the guide means and friction device as said hopper rotates.

9. In an automatic filling changing mechanism for looms, a shaft, a magazine hopper on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a friction device mounted on said shaft and axially spaced from said hopper to engage yarns leading from bobbins in said hopper, a circular series of guide elements carried by said shaft and arranged thereabout between the hopper and the friction device, nonrotating means adjacent to said guide elements to draw slack yarn through said friction device when the shaft is rotated through a predetermined angle, and means for causing the yarn to be more firmly engaged by said friction device after slack'has been drawn therethrough.

10. In an automatic filling changing mechanism for looms, a magazine hopper for bobbins rotatable step-by-step to move successive bobbins into position for transfer to the shuttle, means for loosely holding by frictional engagement the free end portions of the yarns leading from the magazine hopper, and means acting on each yarn as its bobbin approaches said transfer position to draw yarn through said holding means so as to form in said yarn a bight of increasing amplitude.

CHARLES BENEDICT PERRY. 

